The grants to support families in the justice system program (referred to as the justice for families program) was authorized in the violence against women reauthorization act of 2013 to improve the…

The U.S. Department of Justice's Office on Violence Against Women awarded a $700,000 Justice Systems Response to Families Program grant (CFDA 16.021) to the YWCA Knoxville and the Tennessee Valley. The 3-year project (10/1/2024 - 9/30/2027) will implement a comprehensive initiative to address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking in Anderson and Knox Counties, Tennessee. Key activities include:

1. Providing supervised visitation and safe exchange services for families impacted by domestic violence, supported by a full-time coordinator, part-time visitation supervisor, and part-time visit supervisors.

2. Enhancing court-based resources and victim advocacy, including a full-time court-based coordinator to assist victims with orders of protection, service referrals, and navigating the justice system.

3. Delivering limited civil legal assistance to victims.

This grant funding aims to improve the civil and criminal justice system's response to families affected by domestic violence and related crimes, keeping victims and children safe while holding offenders accountable.

The grants to support families in the justice system program (referred to as the justice for families program) was authorized in the violence against women reauthorization act of 2013 to improve the response of the civil and criminal justice system to families with a history of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, or in cases involving allegations of child sexual abuse. The program supports the following activities for improving the capacity of courts and communities to respond to families affected by the targeted crimes: court-based and court-related programs; supervised visitation and safe exchange by and between parents; training for people who work with families in the court system; civil legal services; and the provision of resources in juvenile court matters. Projects supported by the justice for families program are those that focus on keeping victims and their children safe from further abuse and holding offenders accountable. Through this continuation justice for families project, ywca knoxville and the tennessee valley, in partnership with anderson and knox juvenile courts; circuit court - division IV; general sessions II; anderson county family justice center; court appointed special advocates (casa) of the tennessee heartland; and nurture the next, will implement a comprehensive project addressing the following purpose areas: 1) supervised visitation and safe exchange; 5) court-based programs and services; and 6) civil legal assistance in anderson and knox counties in east tennessee. Specific activities will include: 1) supporting a 1.0 FTE coordinator, a 0.5 FTE visitation supervisor and part-time visit supervisors to provide supervised visitation and safe exchange for families impacted by domestic violence; 2) enhancing capacity and resources in court, including 1.0 FTE court-based coordinator working with anderson and knox courts to provide victim advocacy, assistance in completing orders of protection, making referrals to services, and assistance navigating domestic and sexual violence resources; and 3) providing limited civil legal assistance. This is a continuation of 2019-FJ-AX-0005.